Pawtucket homeless shelter's employees sue Urban League of RI

A group of employees at Safe Haven, a homeless shelter in Pawtucket, have sued the Urban League of Rhode Island, claiming that the agency "intentionally refused to pay their wages'' and health benefits for months last year.

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By
W. Zachary Malinowski
Posted Jan. 22, 2014 @ 5:18 pm

PROVIDENCE -- A group of employees at Safe Haven, a homeless shelter in Pawtucket, have sued the Urban League of Rhode Island, claiming that the agency "intentionally refused to pay their wages'' and health benefits for months last year.

Raymond A. Marcaccio, a lawyer, representing eight staff members at the shelter, filed an amended complaint in Superior Court on Friday that blasts the Providence-based nonprofit and accused unnamed officials of retaliating against the employees for filing the lawsuit.

"Despite [the workers'] longstanding employment and dedication to the Urban League and the community they serve, the Urban League has been grossly negligent in the administration of its assets and programs and has intentionally refused to pay [workers] wages and related benefits,'' the lawsuit states.

Marcaccio said that the employees had not been paid for the months of September, October, November and most of December. He also said in his complaint that the failure to provide wages and related benefits dates back to March for periods ranging from 4 to 45 days.

He said the amount owned was about $100,000, but has been reduced to about $50,000 with three payments from Rhode Island Housing in recent weeks.

As a result of the failure to pay, Marcaccio said the staff has experienced "extreme hardships.'' He said one of the workers is in the process of getting evicted from his home and another faces eviction. One employee, he said, has medical problems and has not been able to pay for health-care treatment.

"We have employees that are on the verge of being thrown out of their houses and apartments,'' he said. "It's been an extreme hardship.''

The plaintiffs include Dr. Jesse J. Jordan Jr., who serves a director of Safe Haven and its health services programs, has worked at the shelter there since 1998. The complaint states that additional compensation was payments that were supposed to pay for Jordan's medical school loans.

The others are:

Margaret Padula, a residential counselor since 2004.

Vera Mignott, a residential counselor since 2003.

Eva M. Erilus, a counselor since 1996.

Alice M. Miranda, a residential counselor since 1997.

Carlos S. Braz Jr., a residential counselor since 1989.

Sheila Turner, a residential counselor since 1996.

Michele Philogene, a residential counselor since 1998.

The sole defendant is the Urban League and the lawsuit says the agency's failure to pay its employees "shocks the conscience.''

Casby Harrison III, a lawyer defending the Urban League, provided the court with a two-page response denying the allegations that were detailed in the lawsuit. He said there is no evidence that the Urban League "engaged in any willful misconduct of any kind.''

He said in court papers that the workers "have unclean hands and [their] claims are barred by [their] lack of good faith and fair dealing under the facts and circumstances of this case.''

About two weeks before she was fired, Corrigan had toured Safe Haven and learned that there was no heat or running hot water in the former convent in Pawtucket's Woodlawn neighborhood. She also spoke to several employees and learned that they had been working without pay, health care and other benefits for months.

The shelter can serve up to 22 homeless residents suffering from mental illness, alcoholism and drug addiction. It's funded through the federal Housing and Urban Development agency, which sends money to Rhode Island Housing. In turn, Rhode Island Housing cuts checks to the Urban League to run the shelter and other programs that serve the state's poor and disadvantaged.

On Tuesday, a reporter from The Journal stopped by Safe Haven and approached three staff members. They declined to talk.

Dennis Langley, president and chief executive officer of the Urban League, has said that his agency is getting less money and has undergone financial problems like many other nonprofits in Rhode Island and across the nation. He said that in September, Rhode Island Housing stopped funding Safe Haven.

But Marcaccio said the problems of not paying Safe Haven employees dates to last spring. He said that Rhode Island Housing cut checks for workers at the shelter two days before Christmas, on and one on New Year's Eve and on Jan. 17.

Mary Kate Harrington, a spokeswoman for Rhode Island Housing, issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon: "Rhode Island Housing is working with the Urban League and attorney for Safe Haven employees to get them paid for current and past service.''

The administration of Providence Mayor Angel Taveras also has decided to take a deeper look at the Urban League's finances. On Tuesday, the city hired Sansiveri, Kimball & Co., LLP to conduct an audit of the agency that will cost about $35,000. The investigation is expected to take a month.